Security Problems
by Soxman
Summary: In the genre of "Who trains Naruto before the Chunin exam finals" there have been many characters used, but to this point, not one of the most prominent characters in the universe. So without further ado, Danzo trains Naruto. One-shot... for now.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This started as an exercise in writing because I've read many fics where Naruto was trained by someone other than Jiraiya in the month after the first rounds and conclusion of the Chunin Exams. So I started casting around for some people who would make a truly interesting sensei in the month, and with a little inspiration from Kenchi618, I do believe I have it. This may be a longer fic in the future. I do not own Naruto, and I hope you all enjoy.

Prologue: Rectifying An Unfortunate Mistake

Danzo slammed his hand on his fine polished desk, glaring at the report he had just been given once more. Incredible. Simply incredible. What in the name of Kami was that man thinking? Sighing, he threw the worthless paper into the discard pile on his desk.

Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi. Moron. Complete and utter fool. It was no wonder that Sarutobi liked him and put up with his nonsense. And this…! He actually signed off on this? Fools. They were all fools.

It was a practice from the early days of the village to occasionally request permission to train one particular student- even if several had passed- for the final round of the chunin exam. It was always combat; a show of force, to show that with time, training, and preparation to take down specified and unspecified targets, it could actually be done by the prospective chunin. There were many reasons such a practice was instituted; problem students, problem sensei's, a ninja not being well-versed in a student's arts, and of course, petty reasons like a desire to focus on one particular- possibly favorite- student had been the underlying reason in the past. But why? Why now?

Why would Kakashi request permission to train Sasuke Uchiha for the month? Yes, Sasuke was a genius from his records, yes Orochimaru had apparently attacked him, and yes, he had a tough match-up. But what of Naruto Uzumaki?

Danzo had read the reports and make-up of the Uchihas teammate… and had been extremely disappointed. Loudmouth… moron… paid no attention… useless Shinobi. His only redeeming value by this point had been the horde of Kage Bunshin that could materialize at his whim. This proved his thinking in regards to the Kyuubi, in that it could be used to fashion a nigh unbeatable weapon for the village.

His Root had long since delivered him reports on Killer Bee, Yugito Nii, he knew of Han and Roshi from personal experience, and of course he had data on the Mizukage and the Nanbi Jinchuuriki filed away. He also knew of another Jinchuuriki, within the confines of these walls. A sadistic, threatening Ichibi container. And yet the village chose not to match the threat of a rampant Jinchuuriki with another?

Damn the chunin exams. Take them out of the equation. Their own demon container was by far the weakest. This unbridled weapon of mass destruction, and the Leaf had apparently lost the arms race. Unacceptable. The village could not be secure without a strong demon container, a strong weapon of sheer destruction, to ward away the aggressions of other villages.

But Hatake Kakashi was to train Sasuke Uchiha. And from his agent's reports, Uzumaki was unimpressive. He had apparently made it this far with an army of clones, the help of his teammates, and sheer willpower. But it was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki; how could Hatake Kakashi fail in training it so?

If he had the chakra to create a literal army of Kage Bunshin, why had Kakashi not put the demon container to work using them to train, to fix all the deficiencies in his education? And there were many, many hints that the boy's progress had been sabotaged. After all, what sane ninja would want what appeared to be a demon trapped in a boy's body to gain power? He wasn't a demon, though. The Third may have been a fool, but he was not quite that foolish and blind. He truly believed, time and time again when he'd confronted the Hokage, that all was well with the Jinchuuriki. Despite his many short comings, the Sandaime would not gamble with his beloved village and his beloved Will of Fire so. Which meant the Kyuubi was properly sealed within the boy, which the Hokage must have known of course, and the evidence seemed to readily support this conclusion.

But to fail in training a ninja with such potential? With the power of the Kyuubi No Yoko and the Mass Shadow Clone technique? Because truly, it seemed that all Kakashi had done in his time as his jounin sensei was improve his Taijutsu- his admittedly dreadful Taijutsu. If he had the power to create so many Kage Bunshin, why had Kakashi, the proclaimed ninja of a thousand jutsus, not taken the time to make him into a ninja using that massive chakra to annihilate any ninja he came across? Why was the boy, who could have used such a technique to recover from the Academy sabotage, still, by all accounts, a moronic loudmouth?

And here he was, requesting and being granted approval to train the last Uchiha. Of course Konoha needed the clan well-placed and prominent once more. No question. But the beauty of his tool, his doujutsu, was that all that mattered was the time and effort he put into his training. He was self-sufficient, and needed no aid to become a more powerful ninja. But Uzumaki… an already weak ninja left in the lurch with no training just as unfriendly forces encircled the village. Timing; these people clearly did not have it.

Well, it was clear what he had to do. There was no question about that part. He could not allow the Kyuubi container to remain weak and useless, not when the rampant Ichibi container resided in the village, and not when it was also apparently under siege from Orochimaru. The stakes were too high for whatever petty political concerns had motivated this to hold sway and potentially endanger the village's future. The Kyuubi container would have to be trained, and seeing as there was an apparent shortage of volunteers, he would have to arrange the training.

It wouldn't be difficult. With the position of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he should be willing to accept any form of aid or assistance in training up for the Chunin exams. And he had a month to work; none would look in that closely on his training. Probably. Hopefully, his month of brutal training- it would be brutal, no doubt about that- would be enough to fashion an at least clumsy weapon better suited to defending the village than what it had now. With his path set, Danzo dispatched his Root agents to "retrieve" Uzumaki.

* * *

This guy? Seriously? This guy? The closet pervert? Kakashi wanted to hand him off to this guy for his month of training? Damn it! He needed cool jutsus to fight Neji, not a closet pervert who had hinted that he'd lost a bet, to train him. And Kakashi seemed to see no problem in devoting all his time to the teme and leaving him like this? "Thanks but no thanks! I'll find my own way to beat Neji, Dattebayo!" And with that, he turned and walked away. Kakashi shouted that the closet pervert would be over later when he changed his mind. Naruto resolved to vacate his home for the next few hours.

This… sucked. He had no one to train him. A line around the Hokage tower formed to train Sasuke, but no one could spare him a glance. Just like it had been back when he was at the Academy. Well, if they wouldn't help him, he'd just have to find his own way to defeat Neji… believe it.

"Hello Uzumaki-san," He turned abruptly. Wow, was he really that lost in his own thoughts? Or was this guy that good at- "I am a messenger." The masked Anbu handed him a scroll. "Danzo-sama has heard of your problem with finding a sensei. He would like to offer his services to train you."

Really? Really. Well, if that was the case… this sucked, why couldn't Ramen just fall from the sky? Nope, nothing. Aw well. Danzo…? He didn't remember that name. Who was this guy? And why did he feel so generous when others didn't?

"Thanks, but no thanks," Naruto replied, deciding that, just like Mizuki and the Academy, this was an offer too good to be true. "I can beat Neji on my own."

The masked Anbu shrugged. "Suit yourself. An address is scribbled if you change your mind, and Danzo-sama has also written out and listed some training techniques for you. Use them at your discretion." And then he was gone.

Well, that was weird. Curious, Naruto opened the scroll, which seemed rather small. At the top was a simple warning that only he could read the contents of the scroll… how could this guy do that? Could he teach him tha- no, no. Didn't know the guy. And he'd already had pretty bad luck with sensei's today.

Underneath was the address the Anbu had mentioned. And below it… Really! Seriously! Was this supposed to be a fucking joke! "Shadow Clone Technique. The User gains all the clones memories." And much more written below that on the technique. And the various ways it could be used to train. And there was also… chakra control- no duh, that had actually come in handy- basic Taijutsu, useful jutsu, how to start elemental training- whatever that was- references for beginner books on fūinjutsu- you know what? This guy apparently cared! He had learned more in five minutes of reading than he had from Kakashi. Always Taijutsu and teamwork drills. And tree climbing that one time. He looked at the address he had been given once again. Well, if Kakashi wouldn't train him, and the closet pervert would be useless, then maybe it was time to take up the only offer on the table for him.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Uzumaki-san," The weathered old man with the bandaged eye and forehead greeted him as he was led into his quarters. Okay, he didn't look like much. But on the other hand, he didn't have any better options than the frail old man who sat in front of him.

Remembering his manners, especially seeing as this guy had done something to demand courtesy, Naruto bowed slightly. "Good afternoon." He pointed at the Anbu who had greeted him, who had also been the one to hand the message to him earlier. "I was told that you were willing to train me. Why?"

Danzo stared at him shrewdly. "You are the container of the Kyuubi No Yoko. I have always acted in this village's interest, trying to enhance its security. But the threats outside our walls mount, and our forces within dwindle. In training you, I am not merely helping you to settle a petty grudge, but serving to protect and strengthen this village against those threats," Danzo explained passionately.

Though Naruto had been lost with half of what he said, he at least took note of the similar passion this guy and Jiji used when they spoke about protecting the village. "I want to be Hokage!" He declared proudly… and loudly.

"I have heard of your dreams, Uzumaki. It is not for me to say that it is impossible," Really! Someone who was actually giving him the benefit of the doubt, "But that it is a long road to walk and it will take a great deal of hard work."

Okay, this guy seemed legit… more legit than many other people he'd met. "So you'd train me?" Naruto clarified.

"I will, if you want us to. I will warn you that the training will be hard and brutal. Blood, injuries, mental exhaustion… it will be difficult. I will not pull my punches or hold back. We only have one month to get you in shape, and I intend to make the most of it," Danzo explained. "But… the Hokage can never know." That aroused Naruto's suspicions. "He and I do not see eye to eye on many things, this organization being one, the running of the village another, and what is to be done in regards to you a third. He would not be… pleased, to hear that I have trained you."

"You don't like the way Jiji is running the village?" Naruto asked accusingly. Forget it. This guy was-

"As I said, the Hokage and I do not see eye to eye on many issues. He has my respect for being a Shinobi of such regard, but it does not change my opinion on his running of the village," Danzo interrupted. "For instance, your sensei could never have devoted a month to training your teammate without his approval." Naruto's mouth dropped at that revelation. Danzo passed over a file. "Yes, it was a practice dating back to the founding of the village. The Hokage had to sign off on his doing so. And he did." Danzo was right. There, at the bottom was Jiji's signature. Definitely his signature, as much as he didn't want to believe it.

Why? How could Jiji do such a thing? He knew how much he wanted to be a ninja, to be Hokage. When he was young, Jiji was his only encouragement, all he had driving him forward. But he… His face hardened. No. Like the rest of the village Jij- the Hokage had decided to fawn over the teme. Screw them. "When do we start training?' Naruto asked coldly.

Danzo shrugged, internally pleased with this turn of events. "Immediately."

* * *

"Where the hell is he, Kakashi!" Jiraiya roared, stomping into the clearing he and Sasuke were using to train.

Kakashi stopped what he was doing, seeing how incensed his superior was. "Where is who, Jiraiya-sama?" He asked politely, and with a hint of curiosity.

"You know damn well who! You told me Ebisu would-" Ah, Naruto. Yes, the handoff arrangement.

"He didn't go with Ebisu?" Kakashi interrupted. "We were both certain that he would have changed his mind and gone training with him. And that was when he would have been introduced to you," Kakashi explained casually.

Jiraiya slammed his fist into a nearby tree, resulting in an explosion of woodchips. "Well he's not there!"

Kakashi shrugged. "He said he'd stay away from his apartment for as long as he thought Ebisu would be there. Maybe if you hang around a while-"

"We will be having words about this, Kakashi!" Jiraiya growled as he stomped away.

* * *

Could this day get any weirder? What was Jiraiya of the Sannin doing sitting outside his apartment. Not that he would have known that particular tidbit before his session with Danzo, but with the threat of Orochimaru, the man thought it prudent to give him a basic summary of all of the Sannin.

"Um, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked curiously as he approached his apartment. The man's eyes lit up at his voice. Weird, weird, weird.

"Hey kid. I heard about you and your training problems, and I thought I'd lend a hand," He remarked casually.

"Is this a joke?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You're Jiraiya of the Sannin, aren't you! And you want to train me?" He shook his head. "Joke. Must be it."

Jiraiya got a tick mark over his head. "This is not a joke! Ebisu was supposed to introduce you to me. I've been waiting and waiting, and-"

"Oh. Well, that explains it. I won't train with the closet pervert," Naruto declared promptly. "I didn't want to be part of Kakashi's half-assed back-up plan."

"Nah kid. I called in a debt. I want to train you. He was too busy," Jiraiya explained. "Trust me kid. I can teach you a lot. Like chakra control-"

"-Um, I've already finished the water-walking exercise and have moved on the multiple floating leaf exercise," Naruto interrupted.

"-Well, I can also teach you Taijutsu and-"

"Look old man. I've been focusing on Taijutsu with Kakashi-sensei. I've been doing so for a while now. And I still feel like I'm getting nowhere. Probably because he sucks as a sensei," Naruto groused.

Jiraiya's mouth fell open. "Kid, he's Hatake Kakashi. He's the-"

"Yeah, I know. Copy-cat ninja, or whatever his nickname of the month is. Doesn't mean he's a good sensei," Naruto countered. Jiraiya opened his mouth to argue. "All right, let me prove it. You know that Shadow Clone Technique." He nodded. "I only learned today, by accident, that I gained clone memories after they dispelled. I could have been using that to train for the past six months!" He shouted angrily. "All this time, I was worried about doing more for my team, and falling behind and not doing my best for them, and he couldn't even pull me aside for five measly minutes and tell me about this great training technique!" Naruto asked rhetorically.

Jiraiya sighed, making a note to chew out Kakashi later. "Okay, kid. You may have a point. But I still want to train you."

Naruto sighed. Danzo said that they would only train until five every day. "Fine. I'm free after five every day for the next month."

"Five! But-!" He opened and closed his mouth. That was a lot of time to do research. "Five it is. I'll see you tomorrow, gaki." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

"Channel your chakra into this paper," Danzo commanded. Naruto did so, and the paper began splitting into shreds. "Congratulations. You are a wind elemental. Luckily, I am as well, and so I can teach you much of the art."

"Wind element?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Lightning; the five elemental affinities a ninja can have, though many with Kekkei Genkai could access subgroups. This is all on one of the scrolls I am going to give you," Danzo explained.

Naruto had an image of Sasuke tossing around a fireball and Haku and his ice mirrors. Oh. So that's what that was. "Begin training this by trying to split a leaf with your chakra," Danzo commanded.

"Uh, Danzo… this guy yesterday, Jiraiya," He tensed, "Came up to me and offered to train me after five. Is that a problem or…?" He let the thought die.

Jiraiya of the Sannin. Intersting. He too wanted to train the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. What a development. Well, such training could only help better defend the village, so what was to be the harm in that? "By all means, train with him. However, I still expect you to keep up on your studies," Danzo commented sternly. "Now then, wind chakra is useful in…"

* * *

"Sign here in blood," Jiraiya passed him the scroll the Toad had given him.

Naruto briefly noted the names on the list- the Fourth Hokage!- before he used a kunai to draw some blood and sign. Once done, he passed it back to Jiraiya.

"Well done, gaki. You can now summon toads," He told him. "Okay, so you saw what I did, right?" Naruto nodded. "Well try pouring your chakra into it and…"

By the end of the day, he'd only succeeded in summoning two toads, Gamakichi and Gamatatsu.

* * *

_One Week Later_

"Sorry gaki, it's for your own good," Jiraiya said as he punted him off the cliff. Crazy old pervert!

Naruto closed his eyes and waited for him to become an ugly splotch on the ground. That moment never came. Instead, he was in… what appeared to be a sewer. And there was a pair of demonic eyes staring at him. Oh crap.

* * *

"So you have come to an agreement with the Kyuubi?" Danzo mused. "Interesting. Most interesting. Perhaps we should work on attempting to bring it under control. But maybe that should be saved for later. For now… your leaf."

Naruto once again presented him with the leaf that had only the slight cut across it. "Better. Much better. But still not good enough," Danzo criticized. "Tera, take Uzumaki for more wind manipulation training."

* * *

_End of The Month_

"You've come far, gaki," Jiraiya commented as his young godson threw a punch at him. At the beginning of the month, the kid was barely a ninja. Now… well now, he had improved by leaps and bounds. And toads. Oh, though toads apparently loved him. It almost made him feel jealous.

Naruto nodded. "I think I'm ready, Ero-Sannin," He said.

"Good. Before you fight, there is one more jutsu I want to teach you. I know you said your element is Wind, but I have one jutsu, a low class Earth jutsu, that could be really useful," He explained. "It's called, Hiding Like A Mole Jutsu and it allows you to place yourself underground and…"

* * *

Danzo carefully passed him the sword. "I know we have not done much work on Kenjutsu, but I feel it could be a useful tool for channeling your wind chakra through. In the right quantity, it could enable you to slip past the Ichibi's sand defense," He explained.

Naruto took the sword and carefully strapped it to his back. "How do you feel about my chances?" He asked concernedly.

"Young Neji Hyūga will meet defeat tomorrow," Danzo predicted confidently. 'And balance is to be restored; the genius falls to the Jinchuuriki.' He paused. "As for the rest of your opponents… only time will tell." 'Will tell if you can defeat the Ichibi container.'

"Thank you for all your help," Naruto replied.

Danzo nodded. "You are welcome. But as you know, you can never tell anyone of my aid. Least of all the Hokage or the Toad Sannin. And now you must leave. Good luck, tomorrow."

Naruto turned and walked out of the Root bunker with a sense of purpose etched on his face.

* * *

AN the 2nd: This will not stay a one shot. I just can not give it my full attention at the moment. In a few months, this and my other Naruto fics will be expanded upon.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I didn't expect to continue this fic quite so quickly. I also didn't expect my one-time drabble to become quite so popular. It seems that I was wrong on both counts. Hopefully for the better. Anyway, here's the next installment of this fic. I have to admit I was kind of distracted while writing this, so I'm not quite sure of the quality. Things depending, I may have to one day rewrite this. Anyway, I don't own Naruto, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter One: Danzo's Textbook

_"The most important thing in these moments before combat is clarity. Even if the plan is horrifying and poorly thought out, it is still infinitely better than going into the same situation with no plan of action. You must always have an approach," Danzo instructed a bruised Naruto as one of his Root shoulders applied some medical attention. Not that it was really necessary; Kyuubi was rather fast and efficient at that job, but the demon also liked to take its time, and time was one thing he did not have._

_ "Wait a minute! You're saying that even if I had a stupid plan like 'Naruto smash' it would still be better than just stepping into the arena against him?" Naruto asked incredulously as he pointed at his healer._

_ Danzo smirked. "Naruto Smash? Well, how is Naruto going to smash?"_

_ "Simple. This guy loves his chakra scalpels thingy. So I just have to put some space in between us and smash him with wind attacks or something," Naruto explained without thinking about it._

_ "Oh? Well, since he's just heard that, what makes you think he won't just go for the throat, so to speak?" Danzo countered. "After all, he now knows that every second he gives you to prepare likely tips the balance in your favor."_

_ "So? Just because he knows that doesn't mean he can do anything in response." Naruto replied idly._

_ "That is the kind of arrogance that generally gets a ninja of your caliber killed," Danzo replied sternly. "No. What you know, having fought him, is that anything that impedes his movement is likely to be a boon for you. So you should lead off with attacks like Wind Release: Gale Palm or Earth Flow River."_

_ "Wouldn't he just evade that, though? I mean, that seemed too obvious an answer. He's a ninja who's trained on several different battlefields and whatnot," Naruto mumbled. It seemed like such a stupid way to approach things._

_ "True. He has. And it's good that you are starting to realize enemy capabilities. But not everyone is in a similar boat. So if you encountered another medic-nin in combat…" Danzo trailed off, letting his young student fill in the blanks._

_ "Delay and prepare for an all out assault. But I thought we were talking about this one fight and not every fight in general?" Naruto asked confusedly._

_ "You will find after a time that there is little in the way of difference. There are several standard types of Shinobi- long range specialists, medic-nins, Taijutsu experts- and as long as you possess a basic blueprint for how to go about fighting them…"_

_ "Then victory is within grasp," Naruto finished. "But isn't the converse true with me?"_

_ "Jinchuuriki. It gives you access to multiple fields of attack. One can not prepare against so many different possibilities on the arena stage," Danzo instructed. "And that is why that single, fleeting moment of clarity before a fight is so critical for future success." Naruto still looked dubious. Perhaps he should use another example that hit closer to home? "How would you go about fighting with the Ichibi container?"_

_ "Raise a white flag? Ouch!"_

_ Danzo finally stopped facepalming and stared at his young student. Sometimes, he showed that Kakashi had rubbed off on him in more ways than his absentee sensei ever should have been allowed to. "There are ways to go about fighting such an opponent, Uzumaki. I had hoped that in the time we'd spent working together you would have refined your penchant for unorthodox attacks that are still quite successful. Sadly, it seems that I was wrong."_

_ "Okay, okay! Fine! Uh, let's see… Gaara… well that sand seems like a bitch to get past," He muttered. "So… sand. What works against sand like that? Is there a seal or something that I can use to neutralize its maneuverability?" Though the idea of using fūinjutsu… that sounded horribly complicated and not really that likely to work._

_ "No, because the sand has a focal point. It reacts to the Ichibi container's whims. And it protects the Ichibi container at the same time. This prevents your seals from ever taking effect because of its defensive capibilities. But you are thinking," Danzo noted._

_ "Sand. I don't suppose water or something is the answer?" Naruto asked idly, not even believing in that possibility. Water… wouldn't someone have tried it at this point? Because Gaara wasn't the most friendly fellow around. But maybe Danzo-sensei had another idea._

_ "It could be part of it. Water mixed with sand is harder to manipulate. But, at the same time, making his sand even heavier and more lethal could work against you," Danzo noted. He mentally stepped back and let his student get to work on the problem of the Ichibi container._

_ "So could I get the whole area wet and then apply a seal? Or… could I wet hit sand and then use my element to blow it away? Or do you know any good water jutsus for this kind of thing?" Naruto rounded off in quick succession. 'Or maybe… no. But what if he… Maybe?'_

_ Danzo smiled. "All are possible answers. As it so happens, I know of two or three water Ninjutsu that may give you the edge against him. Blowing his sand away… well, the idea has merit. The only idea that should be scrapped is sealing it away. For obvious reasons," Naruto looked away. "But there is also tapping into the power of you Biju-"_

_ "That seems like an idea fraught with complications." And Kyuubi Vs. Ichibi for a stupid exam seemed like overkill._

_ "Or using your new Toad summons to inflict raw damage," Danzo continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "There are any different ways to approach the problem of a challenging opponent. But as I said, 'whining it' is simply not one of them."_

_ "And Neji…?" Naruto asked dubiously._

_ Danzo chuckled. 'And another way is to have an older and more experienced Shinobi who actually takes his duties as a mentor seriously.' "Well, as for the young Hyūga prodigy…"_

* * *

The curved silver of the blade reflected the sun's bright gaze. Who planned these stupid things for this early in the morning? Naruto could only grumble as he sharpened Danzo's last gift. For no matter how grand it looked, with the styled sheathe inscribed with golden symbols, or the hilt that looked just like new, the blade seemed rather worn, as he had discovered while doing a final run-through last night. Hence the polishing. Nice and sharp, ready for the moment it was needed. He hoped; he'd never really polished a blade like this, so he could only hope he was doing it right. If not, well… unhappy thoughts. unhappy thoughts.

The stadium for the chunin exam finals was still rather empty, with people just filing in. The only sound in the immediate area was that on Naruto working, honing his blade, just in case. If it ever came to him against Gaara, it might really come in handy. And really after his display in the hospital yesterday, where he, Shikamaru, and Might Guy, had just managed to stop him from killing Rock Lee… well, he might need all the help he could get. Tanuki boy was apparently out for blood. His blood, to be more specific. Hence his blade and the tools Danzo had mentioned. His sensei was a genius.

Luckily, as he said, he had another little something stowed away for him, so Sasuke had better kick his ass when he got the chance. Though he doubted even the teme would have enough in store to prevent them from eventually coming to blows. Tanuki boy just seemed to roll like that. But hey, before he could even think like that, he had one Hyūga genius to KO. Naruto momentarily set his blade and make-shift whetstone aside so he could stretch. These new clothes felt amazing.

Surprisingly, Danzo-sensei didn't have a problem with his old outfit because of the coloring. He'd disliked it because it was too bulky and it hurt his Taijutsu. After the first few spars with his Root soldiers, Naruto finally got what he was saying; the bulky orange jumpsuit was seriously hindering his movement. The suit kind of weighed him down, made him tired quicker- if that was even possible for the blond ball of energy-, and ended up hindering his footing. It really didn't look like it did, but his sensei had started pointing out specific areas where his outfit was hurting him, and the proof was pretty damning. So, with great regret, he'd said goodbye to his old, trusty outfit and gotten something new.

He couldn't find a good fitting top that was still bathed in orange, so he'd settled for an orange and black top, with black for the sleeves and the top and bottom and an orange stripe all around the middle. The pants were also orange and black intermixing, so he looked like he was wearing tiger stripes. Though a sacrifice had been made; his new outfit was in a darker shade of his favorite color. And he'd swapped out his sandals something a little sturdier and easier to move in; also colored black. Hey, Danzo-sensei was right; it was way easier to fight and move in this outfit.

"Na-Naruto!" He turned slightly to see Sakura staring at him. What? What was she staring at?

"Hey, Sakura-chang. How's it going?" He asked politely. He kind of wanted to ask her on a date right there and then, but he couldn't really afford to be distracted at this point. Besides, he really didn't see what the big deal was with whatever preoccupied her.

"Wha-what are you wearing?" She asked, completely shocked.

"Clothes?" At this point, he wasn't sure what kind of answer she was looking for. Shrugging, he picked up his sword and went back to polishing it.

Sakura finally recovered. "Well it looks good on you," She commented idly. It had been a month since they'd encountered each other and this… this wasn't what she was expecting. It felt… good to see him again, it really did, but he was just so different. Looked so different. Finally she had to admit, "It's good to see you again, Naruto."

"Good to see you too, Sakura-chan!" He replied with a foxy grin, before returning to work.

She was about to say something else when her thoughts were interrupted. "Up for a game while we wait?" Shikamaru asked, holding out his Shogi set as he sidled past her.

"Sure Shika, set-em up," Naruto said, finally satisfied with his katana's condition. He sheathed the blade and set himself for a game. It was still pretty early and next to no one was there yet.

"So what's your plan, lazy-ass?" Naruto said as he made the first move. He and Shika had been doing this for a bit since Danzo-sensei suggested that this game was a good way to refine tactics and concentrate. Even if Shika didn't know the why, they had been playing quite a bit these past few weeks.

Shikamaru shrugged, glaring at the board. Sakura, surprised by this turn of events, just sat down and watched them play. "Maa, who cares?"

"Well, seeing as you have to fight wind girl, and I'm a wind user, I was going to offer any help I could, but if you feel that way…" Naruto trailed off and made a move to shore up his defense. Not that it would matter.

"You're a wind user?" Sakura asked curiously. Before today, she didn't even think Naruto knew what an element was!

"Yeah," Naruto grunted, not really paying attention. Damn, why Shika have to make that move? Ugh. This was staring off the same way the last dozen games he'd lost had.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Sure, why not? What do you got?"

"Well, as you saw when she faced Tenten, that fan really enhances her wind manipulation. Tornados and whirlwinds and that kind of thing are what you can expect. Of course, if you know Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu, then that's all pretty ineffective," He commented as he made another move. As he took his hand off the piece, he had to resist the urge to facepalm; he'd just walked right into a trap.

"Don't know that one," He commented idly, rushing headlong into the opening his opponent had provided. Naruto knew about a jutsu he didn't?

"You could try knocking the fan away. Though it's easier said than done, unless you have Rock Lee speed hidden in reserve," Naruto commented, trying to figure out how to minimize the damage of his blunder. This was going to be brutal.

"Nah. I don't think that will work out," Shikamaru muttered, getting the most out of Naruto's mistake. "I don't have that kind of speed. And that sounds like too much work. I do have an idea, though."

Naruto groaned, and it wasn't because of the game. "To steal your phrase, this is going to be way too troublesome."

"What's going to be way too troublesome?" Sakura asked, not following the conversation. Since when did Naruto… since when did he plan, or have worthwhile suggestions, or play Shogi, or-?

"Notice how bright and sunny it is, Sakura? Well, what do you think Shadow Boy is going to do but just make us wait until his techniques are strong enough to be used?" Naruto groaned. "His fight is going to take forever."

"Yeah, like you're going to do much better," Shika groused, annoyed that Naruto somehow knew what he was going to do.

"Hey, I know exactly how to go after Neji. Shouldn't take too much time to down him," Naruto replied airily.

Shikamaru, Sakura, and Ino- who had just arrived- stared at him. "You do?" They asked in unison.

"It's not that hard. Fight one Hyūga, and you've fought them all," He replied neutrally, desperately searching for a way to repel Shika's advance. The situation was quickly becoming hopeless.

"When did you fight a Hyūga?" Ino asked curiously.

* * *

_"Kami, you hit like a motherfucker," Naruto groaned as Hyūro stepped back, satisfied. Three, two, one… and Kyuubi had just unsealed his tenketsu. 'Thanks, demon fox.' Now that felt quite a bit better. Now time to take a deep breath, settle down, and get his ass kicked once again. _

_ "Towel, Naruto-san?"_

_ "Thanks, Sai," Said Naruto as he took his offering and began wiping his face off. Hey he might have seemed pretty creepy, but deep down, Naruto was certain he was a good guy. Even if he wasn't a people person. At all. "How am I doing?" Badly, would probably be the response._

_ "Danzo-sama wishes to convey congratulations over the progress you have made, and suggests humbly that you focus more on the weaknesses of the opponent in front of you," Sai replied emotionlessly. Well, at least one of them had a semblance of tact. Hint: it wasn't the guy in front of him._

_ "Hmm, good advice in theory," Naruto muttered, staring at Hyūro's white eyes. Hmm, okay, he couldn't win in straight up Taijutsu contest. Even though Kyuubi was pretty good at reopening his sealed tenketsu, the damage his opponent inflicted was just too much for him to bear. And then that Eight Trigram Palms thing made it so he couldn't even stand right. At least he knew his Shadow Clones could hide him pretty well for a time, but that wasn't an answer, merely a delaying tactic. So, he had to keep him away, and stop the guy from landing blows. But… Ninjutsu? Well, if he could keep him away…"All right. Let's go again."_

_ The spar started out the same as last time, with Naruto on the defensive. Evading another strike, he created a dozen clones in hopes of buying himself a few seconds. His delaying tactic was successful, though at the cost of his diversionary clones. "Wind Release Stream!"_

_ Even if the eyes were all-seeing, they were still eyes. And the amount of dust blown by his technique would impair their ability to function properly as he blinked the residue away. "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" He let fly the bullets of wind, before using Kawarimi to shift from his opponent's counterattack of shuriken. All-seeing eye? Maybe it was time to put that to the test. After all, he'd already found one work around._

_ His eyes now unimpaired, Hyūro began scanning the arena for signs of his opponent. If he could find him, then the spar was his. Uzumaki was just as susceptible as any other Shinobi to the Gentle Fist. But… Impossible! Where had he disappeared to? Why couldn't- _

_ "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" Only too late did he look straight up and behind him to see Uzumaki's attack headed his way. Up and back! But he should have seen that! Why couldn't he see that? He tried to dodge, but he could not fully evade the attack as it crashed around him and injured his arm and left side. As he lay groaning, Sai called the match and called over medical aid._

_ "Huh. Looks like Hyūga can't see directly above and behind them. Wonder if that applies to below them as well?" Naruto mused to Sai as his opponent was patched up for another spar. Well, this looked promising._

* * *

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto replied idly, pretending to be focused on the game. Why did he say that? He didn't need to say that! This was the kind of habit Danzo had tried to force out of his head.

"But you just said you'd fought a Hyūga?" Sakura pressed on, confused.

"Did I? I just meant that I once got into a fight with one and I'm pretty sure what worked then will work now," Naruto commented idly. His eyes shot up; Neji had just walked in. Speak of the demon, and he shall come. And… there were the Sand siblings. So, himself, Neji, Shikamaru, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and… yeah, there was Shino. But, wait a second, where was Sasuke?

"Anybody seen Sasuke?" Naruto asked. It was only partially an attempt to divert attention from his slip-up. He was kind of curious as to where his comrade had gotten too. And how he'd been over the past month. Only kind of curious, though. The teme could be a bit of an asshole.

Sakura and Ino looked around. Naruto was right; no Sasuke. And he was also right on the money when he'd thought they might provide a suitable distraction. Would wonders never cease? "Where is Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked concernedly.

"And Kakashi-sensei isn't here either," Sakura mentioned. She didn't notice the angry frown that had appeared on Naruto's face. And she wouldn't; it quickly disappeared into a mask of neutrality. Their relationship was pretty bad at this point, not that she or the masked jounin knew that.

"They're probably still training," Naruto assured her. "After all, you know the teme wants every minute he can get. Training and all that. He does have a rather difficult opponent to face, after all." He looked eyes with Gaara. Creepy motherfucker.

"Mother wants his blood," Gaara remarked neutrally. "But if he can't make it, yours will have to do, Uzumaki." A slightly hungry look came into his eye at that. Well… as he said, that was rather creepy.

"Just keep talking, Tanuki. Just keep talking," Naruto muttered. Gaara apparently took offense at his reply. So 'Tanuki' was a sore spot? Interesting. But Naruto was saved from having to talk down the Ichibi Jinchuuriki by the Hokage and Kazekage announcing the start of the Finals and the rules for these matches.

* * *

"-Neji Hyūga Vs. Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma announced to the crowd. Naruto stared into the white eyes of his opponent, before slightly adjusting the katana sheath on his back. He positioned his hand slightly as if his opening move would involve it. Deception was par for the course.

"You should give up. You will not win; it is your fate to lose here," Neji advised him neutrally. Since Hinata-sama was so infatuated with him, it was only a courtesy for him to try and avoid humiliating his opponent.

"Yeah, no. I don't think so. You ever faced me in battle before, Neji?" Slowly, his opponent shook his head. "Then don't talk shit to an opponent you've never faced! And what the hell is with that fate nonsense."

Neji frowned at him. "It is your fate to lose to me. The moment we were matched against each other, your fate was set," A smirk came onto his face. "People are only as talented as fate allows them to be-"

"Says the lower House member who beat his cousin in combat," Naruto interrupted. "After all, you're in a lower house. You should be weaker just because. But you aren't, are you? Seems like quite a contradiction." Oh look, a vein just bulged in Neji's forehead!

Neji stared at him. He was going to dismiss the thought before he remembered the long hours he put into working on his Kaiten, the long hours working on the Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms, the long hours… he was a branch house member. Period. Always had been, always would be. Those were techniques for members of the main house. By his own logic, he should never have been able to learn them. But before he could truly follow that train of thought, he dismissed it. Uzumaki must not be allowed to cloud his mind.

"What you say does not matter. Fate has already decreed me the winner," Neji replied finally.

"Hit a sore spot? Well, if you can rise above your station in life, then perhaps I can as well?" Naruto suggested airily.

"Hajime!" Genma shouted finally, interrupting further posturing and getting the fight underway.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, creating a dozen clones. He sent his clones charging, so his tactics would look similar to the ones he used against Kiba. Neji, quickly began polishing off his clone army with his Taijutsu, until only one Naruto remained. His opponent stood, grinning at him, like he had no care in the world. "Wind Release Stream!"

Neji jumped back and blocked his eyes. They might have been all-seeing, but dust was just as bad for his eyes as it was for anyone else's. He reactivated the Byakugan in time to notice Uzumaki lunging. His palm strike slashed him in the head, before… his opponent dispelled! A clone! But where was-

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Before Neji could really turn in response, Uzumaki's wind attack from behind and above him slammed him backwards into the ground. He just barely held up a kunai to block Naruto's sword strike. "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" Naruto shouted as he flew through hand seals and jumped backwards.

"Kaiten!" Neji shouted while beginning the famous Hyūga rotation. If that attack hit…! He didn't want to think about it. He knew from experience with Suna-nins that it was a lethal attack. But how could the dobe…? Well, apparently Naruto was right, though. He was a dobe no more. He wasn't fighting like one, after all, just like he wasn't fighting like a branch house member. Now Naruto was someone to be taken seriously. His last attack proved that.

"Oh, Kaiten!" Naruto smirked, and Neji had the feeling that his opponent had prepared for this possibility. "Well then: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He shouted as he threw a shuriken at Neji.

Neji quickly reactivated his Kaiten to prevent his death from Naruto's technique. Another lethal technique he'd seen in the field. But he noticed as he kept spinning and spinning while expelling chakra, that Naruto did not look particularly spent from his continuing onslaught, whereas he was definitely getting tired. How was that possible- the last time he'd faced this technique, its user was drained pretty quickly! His opponent noticed his fatigue as well, and finally ended the attack.

"Well, that's enough of that. Just so you don't get any ideas about doing that again," Naruto cautioned with a smirk. Neji glared right back at him. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Once again, a dozen clones sprang into existence.

Neji still demolished them pretty quickly, but with noticeably less energy. It was official; the dobe was getting to him. Finished disposing of the last one, Neji quickly charged his opponent before he had a chance to perform another deadly jutsu. This was an opponent who he'd dismissed to readily.

But Naruto dodged and weaved through his strikes. Again and again. Neji, who was noticeably tired by this point, overstepped in attempting to strike Naruto in the chest and his opponent capitalized with a brutal blow to the chest. Neji staggered backwards, reeling from Naruto's strike. How!

But his pain filled face turned to a smirk as he saw an opportunity. His mistake would be rectified. "You are in my field of divination! Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" He shouted. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he began rushing him with an apparent second wind.

"Two Palms!" Naruto swiftly dodged them. He had experience facing this attack.

"Four Palms!" Again, another series of complex dodges, and Neji was beginning to get frustrated.

"Eight Palms!" Naruto just barley dodged this series of strikes. This could be trouble…

"Sixteen Palms!" A few of Neji's strikes actually got past his guard.

"Thirty-Two Palms!" A slight majority of Neji's strikes landed on him as he kept pushing his speed faster and faster.

"Sixty-Four Palms!" Most of Neji's strikes hit Naruto, and he fell to his knees. "As I said before, you were fated to lose." He stared at his opponent before removing his headband. The caged bird seal stared back at Naruto. "As passionate as you were, I know from this that I shall never be free. Free from the chains of fate," He sighed. "You have no idea what it's like to have a curse like this, a burden you can never get rid of."

While Neji was talking about the curse laid upon his shoulders, Naruto was communicating with the burden he could apparently never get rid of. 'Lend me your power, Demon Fox!' The malicious orange chakra began pumping through his veins; unsealing the tenketsu Neji's attack had struck. 'Just keep talking, Neji. Just keep talking. Maybe now's a good time for a fate rant.' Nope, hold the phone- he was back! Kyuubi finished its work, and Naruto slowly stood once more. Neji stared back at him. Impossible. Simply Impossible!

"Hmm. Sorry, were you saying something about a burden you can never get rid of? Yeah, I do actually know what it's like. You arrogant little twit." And with that, Naruto slammed into Neji with all his strength before his opponent could recover from his shock, drawing his sword and holding it to his opponent's neck in one swift move. "Call it, please," He shouted to Genma.

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma shouted to the shocked crowd. There were no applause, only stares, mutters and whispers. Sadly, it was par for the course. Naruto promptly sheathed his sword and got off of his opponent.

"Did I defy fate to your satisfaction?" Naruto asked sarcastically. Neji was still staring at him. "It doesn't exist, Neji. In the end, it's up to each of us to make our own fates. Just as you did when you learned techniques that should have been beyond you." He glanced at Neji's still revealed Caged Bird Seal. "But when I become Hokage- that's gone. Not coming back. That's a promise you can believe. And a fate you can work towards. Since you and your cousin share such similar views, perhaps you should work with her rather than against her from now on?" Naruto finished as he turned and began walking away. Neji finally recovered from the shock of his defeat and stood once more. Shaking his head, he too headed back for the stands.

'Well, that was the easy part.' Naruto locked eyes with the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. 'But next round… that could be tricky.' He patted his pocket, feeling the scroll he'd brought with him. 'But I think, as long as I don't get arrogant next time, he shall meet defeat today.' And with that, he retook his seat, and began planning for the next round. Now what had Danzo said about dealing with insane Jinchuuriki?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: After quite a delay, I am back… for the moment. Who knows when next I'll return? For the record, I don't know either. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you all enjoy. Oh, and I don't own Naruto- though why anyone would think that at this point is beyond me.

Chapter Two: On The Edge

Danzo nodded slightly as his one-time student departed the field. Too overconfident, but still, it was a rather impressive performance overall. And he hadn't shown much of his hand. Granted, his Taijutsu had noticeably improved- to the point of being an asset rather than a weakness-, and the few jutsus he had used were noticeable, but overall, nothing much had been shown. If he ended up facing the Ichibi container, it would be a match where the boy held little knowledge of the scope of his abilities. But by contrast, he knew what the other Jinchuuriki was capable of. And that worked just fine for him.

"There will be a ten minute break, to allow for the arrival of the participants of the second match!" The Hokage announced to the stadium at large. Danzo frowned, and then began scanning the stadium. Hmm, yes the Ichibi container was there, so… where was Sasuke Uchiha? Hmm. No. Not there. And the Hokage would not have made that announcement without prompting. So the boy was late. He would have been worried if it weren't for the fact that his mentor was a man infamous for his lack of punctuality. No, this was most likely… disregard.

Danzo wearily got to his feat. Unacceptable. Completley unacceptable. And yet, it fit perfectly into his plans. He'd been hoping for an opportunity to pit Uzumaki against the Kazekage's son, despite how ludicrous such a matchup seemed on paper. It had been why he'd helped the boy develop strategies to specifically counter the Ichibi container and his sand defense. After all, their one-time Sand Allies had gotten a little too comfortable with their position. So much so that they were apparently now in league with the rogue Sannin. The defeat of their strongest asset should be enough to restore the Leaf's standing and force them back into line. Especially seeing as he and the Hokage knew that the boy's transformation was supposed to herald their invasion. It was why his Root soldiers were out quietly dispatching their forces. Yes, the Sand would need to meet a grievous defeat today. And to do so, it was now imperative that Gaara of the dessert was facing off against their most capable Shinobi for this situation. Another Jinchuuriki. Like Naruto Uzumaki. Danzo reached the door he had been heading for and knocked. Once. Twice. A third time.

"Ye- Good Afternoon, Danzo-san," The Hokage's guard greeted quietly. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. May I please have a few moments of the Hokage's time?" He asked neutrally. The guard walked away. He returned with the elderly Hokage, looking majestic in his ceremonial robes. At least he looked as the Hokage was supposed to, even on the eve of such a crisis.

"What can I do for you, Danzo-san?" The Hokage asked wearily. He glanced back at the Kazekage before nodding slightly. And then he threw up his most subtle of privacy jutsus to ensure this conversation would stay confidential.

"I have request, Hokage-sama," Danzo began formally. "In light of Sasuke Uchiha's apparent lateness, I ask that you disqualify him and advance his opponent to the next round," He finished.

The Hokage's eyes rose. "Do you now? And why, might I ask, do you desire such a thing?" Not that he even really needed to ask why he desired it. He just needed to know why he should grant it; where this fit into the grand plans that would ensure the village was defended.

"A matter of village security," Danzo replied swiftly, his tone much lower, and the Hokage nodded slightly. Invasion. Yes, he'd thought the same thing. While he was still… displeased with Danzo's interference, he could understand the reasoning. No reason to let him know that, though. "I feel that the arrangement of such a match would be most… fortuitous," He finished tersely. "Besides, as talented a Shinobi as Sasuke Uchiha is, we do not want to encourage the same bad habits that plague his mentor, do we?" He said that in a louder tone, as the Hokage momentarily dispelled the barrier before reapplying it, so any around them could hear their pre-planned excuse. Just in case; they'd been around long enough to know that cover, physical or mental, was always a good thing to have.

"You are confident that he can handle it?" The Hokage asked neutrally. Even though they had essentially agreed beforehand, he was pushing the envelope by asking to match Jinchuuriki again Jinchuuriki, and cut Sasuke Uchiha out of the loop. Though the idea was certainly appealing to him… if Naruto could handle it. The idea was more appealing than sending the last of the Uchiha to face a bloodthirsty demon container. Danzo smirked inside. They'd had this same conversation once before, and he'd technically won last time too.

* * *

_"Good evening, Hokage-sama," Danzo greeted. He quickly slid a scroll in front of the Hokage. "As one of your security advisors, I feel it is my duty to inform you of this," The Hokage took the scroll and read the heading: __**Updated Security Plans For Sand-Sound Invasion**__._

_ "Yes, I am quite aware of this, Danzo. My intelligence is just as good as yours," He replied tersely. Of course, what they didn't know was that their intelligence emanated from the same place; a captured Sand Jounin who was trying to cover up Gaara's apparent assassination of a fellow Genin. Not that the Sand, or their new Oto allies, were aware of that, of course._

_ Danzo smirked. "Yes, but there is a development. You see, in light of the apparent threat- section 2.3 on what we know of the Jinchuuriki Gaara- I felt it would be pertinent to have an ace in the whole." He stared at his one-time friend, and current rival. "For the past month, I have been training Naruto Uzumaki in tandem with Jiraiya."_

_ The Hokage stared at him levelly. "I see," He said with a puff of his pipe. "And I assume that while you are telling me this, you will also be telling me about why I shouldn't have you executed for going against my orders?" Not that he could follow through on his threat at this moment. The Sand and Oto forces were standing by, and now that they'd caught a break thanks to Danzo's new student, they were working to quietly eliminate the threat… and send a message. A ninja village like theirs simply couldn't tolerate such plots against them._

_ Danzo shrugged. "Because the stakes are too high. If He hadn't recovered these plans, we would have been caught blind. And now that we know, we need a trained Jinchuuriki to match the threat of their own. Though I applaud your initiative of having him trained by your former student," A move he'd made with no idea that such an attack was so close on the horizon, "I truly did not feel that it was enough. Jiraiya, for all his efficiency and strength, is lazy and undisciplined. Naruto needed more focused attention. Thus, I took it upon myself to do just that. And if training a boy to help fend off an invasion that may destroy his home is treason, then please, kill me now. Or hand me a sword, and I will do it myself."_

_ A dark scowl came over the Hokage's face. "Naruto knows?" He asked in a deadly whisper. As much as he saw Naruto as son, he knew the blonde boy was a loudmouth. He was not the person to be told about the greatest intelligence coup in a decade, even if he had unwittingly handed it to them. And he didn't have the time to properly drill secrecy into his thick skull. _

_ "No. But I knew. We have been looking for ways to better the odds for the past few weeks. This seemed to be a good option, despite your objections. Uzumaki is now a capable Shinobi. More than capable of matching their own Jinchuuriki at this point," He declared proudly. Not that the Hokage needed to know that he had defied his orders before the threat ever materialized. "And now one of the many logistical problems facing us has been resolved. I make no apologies, Hokage-sama."_

_ "Desperate times, Danzo?" The Hokage sighed. The idea of resolving one of the greatest hurdles of their counterstrike, the release of the Demon inside the boy, was enough to soften his tone. No, their odds just became a lot better._

_ "They do call for desperate measures," He replied cattily. The slight smirk dropped. "Without Uzumaki being trained, I am uncertain if the village can survive," He admitted. "The problem presented by the Ichibi container is great for our forces to handle. But Ichibi against Kyuubi…"_

_ The Hokage nodded. "You shall have no further contact with him afterwards," The Hokage declared steadily. 'And I will make sure of that.' Danzo nodded earnestly. "But I am grateful for the steps you have taken, Danzo. Sadly the needs of the Leaf outweigh my own moral qualms about this." He glanced back at the intelligence report. "Please leave now before I change my mind."_

* * *

"He is," Danzo nodded. "I would even go so far as to say to that it as if he has been trained for this very moment." The Hokage nodded slightly, understanding the message. Though he and Danzo had not typically seen eye to eye in the past, this was the moment where everything else was inconsequential in the face of such a threat. There was nothing else for it.

"I shall take your word for it," The Hokage replied, the edge evident in his tone. "Until later," He muttered as he walked back into the box. Sasuke's ten minutes were up. "Due to his absence, I declare Gaara of the Dessert the winner of this match!" He announced to stunned crowd.

The second after he made the announcement, the Stadium erupted in outrage. Angry spectators began shrieking, booing, and actually throwing debris on the field. Some even got to their feet and began flocking out of the stadium. The Kazekage looked absolutely miffed that he wasn't going to see the fight. But after a moment, where raw anger was etched onto his face, he seemingly calmed himself and schooled his face into a mask of neutrality. The Hokage took it as a signal that the plan was still in place. Gaara was still the herald of the invasion. The best possible outcome they could hope for; it meant their special forces had more time to weed out the invaders.

The Hokage quickly dispatched his Anbu to begin restoring order, while Danzo watched the ruckus impassively from his own seat. If they understood the stakes, they would never have clamored for this trivial match. The ironic thing was that this would never have been possible; they might have been caught entirely blind, if not for Uzumaki.

* * *

_"Excuse me," Naruto tiredly tugged on the Anbu's sleeve. He was so damn tired. Man, Danzo was really putting him through his paces. But the old guy was kind of right; he had never been worked nearly that hard. It was no wonder why he felt like he'd been hit by a train._

_ The Anbu turned sharply, Cat mask revealing nothing to him. "Yes?" She asked sternly._

_ "Um, well, why are there people fighting on that roof?" Naruto asked, pointing up at a nearby roof._

_ "What are you talking about?" She asked sternly. Was this supposed to be part of another of his infamous pranks?_

_ "There are two people fighting on that roof, and then there are like, three more people watching them," He explained slowly. "I think one of them is on that roof right there," He pointed right up at the building next to her._

_ "Move along, Uzumaki. I'll handle this," She told him calmly. Neko shook her head before calling for back-up. It might be prank of some kind, but on the other hand, if it wasn't, well… it was a choice between potentially be splattered in paint or missing a fight that could have consequences. The consequences of the discovery of a murder along her route… well, those kinds of investigations were never pretty, and there had been too many launched in recent times._

_ She entered the apartment building and climbed the steps slowly. Now that she was apparently getting closer, she could hear what he was talking about. It certainly sounded like a fight was taking place close by. Quietly, she opened the door to the roof and slowly inched her head out. There was… someone. And… yes, that looked like that Gaara kid. Or at least the sand… she was pretty sure it was sand… looked familiar. And… it looked like the fight was over. In the distance, she could barely make out two others moving away. The spectator on the roof turned, and she quietly closed the door, moving back so she could ambush him on the landing below. At very least, this merited a thorough questioning from Ibiki._

_ Quietly, she moved into the corner, the darkness shielding her presence. Slowly, the sound of footsteps drew closer. The figure quietly walked past, and she could barely make out in the darkness traditional Sand garb. What was an ally doing watching a fight. She emerged from her hiding place quietly dipping a withdrawn Shuriken in knockout poison. If she was wrong… but… she could tell, she wasn't wrong. The Sand Shinobi was just about to reach the next flight of stairs, so she drew her hand back and threw. The figure turned slightly, hearing the noise, but the shuriken impaled them slightly in the side. They began running down the stairs as the poison quickly spread through their system. At the bottom, they could go no further and collapsed to the ground._

_ She quickly reached the body, and bent low to examine it. The mysterious figure was apparently a male, and it looked like he was a Jounin. So why was a Sand Jounin out and about at this time of night? And what was with the fight? Then again, this was Ibiki's department. She quickly got a good grip on the figure, before she slung him over the shoulder for a midnight rendezvous with the Head Interrogator._

* * *

Of course, Ibiki's special arsenal quickly had the Jounin singing like a canary. It might have caused an international incident, if not for the evidence that there had been a death sometime in the night. Trace amounts of blood indicated that. And there seemed to be an apparent connection with Gekko Hayate's recent death. So they did have the authority to question him, seeing as they did have evidence he had witnessed… something. Circumstantial to be sure, but evidence nonetheless.

But what he revealed was stunning; a conspiracy at the Roots of Konoha. He did know something about Hayate's death; that Sand was behind it because he had learned of their plot. Their plot to invade Konoha in combination with Oto's forces at Orochimaru's behest. He didn't have everything, but he apparently had enough details, and knowledge of where to get more, that everything came to light. After Ibiki was done with him, Inoichi quickly came in and erased his knowledge of his capture and interrogation. He was released the next day, having no idea he'd given everything away.

Since that point, Konoha's forces had sprung into action against the Sand. Key figures of the invasion were captured, silenced, and all together neutralized. There were a few who couldn't be touched, like Gaara, but the quiet work they'd done would ensure that once their invasion swiftly failed. And in the aftermath… Konoha would rise to prominence among nations once more. But for now… another match was about to begin. And then… showtime.

* * *

Kankuro had swiftly surrendered when Gemna had called him for his match with Shino, meaning that it was time for Shikamaru's match with Temari. Both had swiftly moved into the arena while Gaara levelly stared at him, the message clear.

"So you're up next?" Shino asked quietly as the match began. Naruto nodded wordlessly, returning Gaara's stare. "It was nice knowing you," He muttered, sizing up the Ichibi Container, and not liking what he was seeing.

Naruto turned his head slightly. "Saw how I did against Neji?" Shino nodded silently. "It was sloppier than I intended, but I was ready for him." A slight smile made its way onto his face. "Just like I'm sure you were ready for the puppeteer."

"You make a valid point, but I do worry that you are in over your head," He whispered quietly.

"I've been in over my head since I got my graduated," Naruto remarked airily. "What's one more time?"

"Possibly the last time, though," Shino pointed out. "One time will be the last time, if you keep this up," He replied morbidly.

"But not this time," Naruto quickly countered. "I'm ready for him." He spared Shino a glance. "But I don't think you're going to be happy with the Arena once I get through with it," He assured him, turning away.

Both Shino and Naruto began quietly watching the fight as Shikamaru battled Temari. "Is it just me, or is this fight really boring?" Naruto asked dully. He shook his head. "This is why I wanted to give him advice; so we're not stuck here for four hours, bored out of our minds."

"I understand how you're feeling," Shino agreed. "On the other hand, considering that the point is to show off…"

"Hey, I understand. But there are fifty different ways of showing off. And at this point, it's… well kind of monotonous," Naruto replied. "I mean, I get that they're both good with strategy," Another one of Temari's special wind attacks forced Shikamaru to dodge, "But at this point, it seems like they're both so committed to strategy that they're ignoring the direct approach."

Shino's glasses flashed. "I see what you're saying. But perhaps it is the only way he knows how to fight."

"Perhaps. But, coming to back to the point of this match, it seems like this kind of thing would actually lose him points. Unless that's what he wants, of course. Shika is pretty damn lazy," Naruto muttered.

"Perhaps." He turned slightly and gazed at Naruto. "There is one thing I am curious about though: what is responsible for your sudden turnaround?"

"And you expect me to tell you? Just like that?" Naruto remarked, not looking at him.

"There was a time when you would have told me, Sakura, Sasuke, and anyone else willing to listen," He replied neutrally. "But I guess things have changed. Or at least, you have. So why?"

"Because," Naruto answered simply. He could tell Shino was expecting more of an answer, and frankly, it was simpler to answer the bug user now than to leave lingering questions. "Because there does come a point where you realize that you're not good enough, that it's time to start taking life a little more seriously."

"And you reached that point," Shino guessed quietly. "And you just… got better?" He asked skeptically.

"No one just gets better, Shino. You already know that. I improved the same way anyone else ever improved; sweat, blood, tears, persistence, the works," Naruto remarked quietly. "Personally, I think the real shock of this all is that it took me this long to get my act together. But obliviousness is sometimes such a wonderful and awful thing." He turned back to the field. "Oh look, Shikamaru has it all wrapped up."

Indeed, Temari seemed caught in his trap with no hope of escape. "I surrender," Shikamaru declared, letting go of the shadow. Naruto and Shino shook their heads; it was par for the course from the lazy genius.

While everyone was marveling at his surrender just as he had won, Shikamaru jumped back into the stands while Temari continued to sputter indignantly. Finally, she returned to the stands, still shaking her head. Gemna was about to call the next match when two figures appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Are we too late?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly as he and Sasuke finally arrived.

Gemna's eyes flicked to the Hokage's box as he received his answer. "Yes. Please vacate the field. Will Gaara of the Dessert and Naruto Uzumaki please come down here?" He announced to the stands.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi and stalked off to the stands as Naruto quickly jumped down. Kakashi stared at him for a moment before he shook his head and wandered off to join his other students. Gaara joined him in a whirlwind of sand.

"You will prove my existence," Gaara hissed lowly as they took their places before the match began.

"Perhaps," He agreed, Shino's words echoing in his head. "But we'll see. And maybe be pleasantly surprised," He said, setting himself in a combat stance. He glanced at Gemna. "Shall we?"

He nodded. "Ready… Hajime!" Gemna announced, as the match began. Naruto smiled slightly, despite the opponent facing him, ready for the chance to bring the sand boy low and finally prove himself to these people, once and for all.


End file.
